Jedi Can't Date
by Write-To-You
Summary: Rey asks Ben Solo out on a date. Things don't go exactly as planned (Reylo, mostly just fluff and humor, takes place in a world once Ben has turned and he's with the Rebels. NO Rise of Skywalker Spoilers)


**Author's Note: Well well well, what is ****_this_****?! A Reylo fanfiction! (is it Reyen when Kylo Ren is good and Ben? Lol) More than that- a ****_Star Wars_****, fanfiction! **

**Not gonna lie, I can't believe this is my first one lol. But I rewatched The Last Jedi last night to prepare for Rise of Skywalker, and ****_dang_****, I was reminded of how amazing Reylo is. Like... phew :O **

**Soooo because they're so, ahem, ****_emotionally and sexually charged_****, I figured it'd be a nice break to write something fluffy and funny. Enjoy :)**

Today is The Day.

In reality, today isn't even a special day. About three years have passed since Snoke was killed, the First Order was demolished, and Kylo Ren became Ben and accepted his place in the Light. A sort of shaky peace is settled in the galaxy, and those who were once considered Rebels now have the job of keeping it that way.

But even with all of those milestones, today isn't special. It isn't the day that Rey and Ben defeated Snoke, nor is it the day that they first started communicating with the Force (that being said, Rey isn't actually sure when that date is. At the time, it would have been a strange thing to remember). Nothing happened on this particular date at all. But for Rey, it is _The Day_.

The Day she is going to ask Ben Solo out on a date.

Rey finds Ben in one of the side rooms of the Rebel Base. In reality, she shouldn't even call it the "Rebel" Base anymore, considering that, finally, they're no longer Rebels. But old habits die hard, and anywhere where Leia, Rey, Finn, Poe and Ben are is going to be the Rebel Base.

"Good morning, Rey," Ben says when she walks in, and Rey can feel herself almost shaking with nerves. She tries to calm down a little, because Ben is uncannily good at using the Force to read people. Usually, the habit is just annoying, but now it could actually ruin all of Rey's plans.

Not that she has many plans. She's rehearsed different variants of a speech in her head nearly a dozen times since she had decided to ask Ben out, but they've all gone and flown out of her head.

"Hi," Rey breathes back, before clearing her throat. "Uhh... random question.. well, not _really_ random, exactly, but a... question. I have a question. For you."

Ben raises his eyebrow. She realizes that she might have just walked in on him meditating, considering that he's sitting on one of the low-rise tables in the room with his legs crossed and his hands resting delicately on his knees. She winces, wishing she hadn't just steamrolled into the situation like she always did.

"Yes...?" Ben is saying, and Rey blinks back to herself. "Rey?"

"What?" she demands, unsure of what he's just said.

"What's your question?" Ben asks slowly, frowning bemusedly. "The one you wanted to ask me?"

"Oh, right," Rey says, as if she'd forgotten. Yeah right, like she could forget. "I was wondering if... well, if you'd maybe like to... go on a date with me sometime...?"

Wow, that sounded stupid and like she is still a teenaged girl with a crush. Not that she's had many of those in her life.

Ben's eyebrows jump in surprise. The first thing out when he opens his mouth is: "Rey, Jedi can't date."

Rey chokes a little. She had been expecting him to respond, obviously, but she'd been thinking it would actually be a reaction. Either intense surprise or reciprocation or, in the worst case, disgust.

But not... _this_. Ben doesn't seem to have even understood the implication of her words (that she _likes him, _dang it!), just the words themselves.

"Um... okay?" Rey manages, already starting to back out of the door. This is about sixteen times more awkward than she had even imagined it could be. "Then... forget it, I guess."

Ben frowns. "Wait, Rey, I didn't mean-"

She turns and hurries out of the door, feeling a blush still on her face. For a little bit, Rey just wanders the corridors to blow off steam. But then she finds herself at the door to Leia's private quarters. Without even thinking about it, Rey knocks.

"It's open!" Leia calls, her voice a little scratchy but as soothing as ever. Rey immediately feels her shoulders drop down her back as she relaxes, and she opens the door.

"Hello, Rey," Leia says. She's sitting at her desk on an electronic pad, typing. As always, she doesn't seem at all surprised to see the younger woman. "Everything alright?"

"Leia, can Jedi date?" Rey blurts out, unable to stop herself or to take the time for pleasantries and beating around the bush.

Leia looks up with her eyebrows raised and a surprised smile on her face. "Can Jedi date?" she repeats. "Well... no, traditionally, I don't think that was allowed. Why do you ask?"

Rey's cheeks turn pink and she suddenly remembers that she's literally _talking to Ben Solo's mom_. "Uh, I was just... wondering...?"

Leia looks at her, unconvinced, before moving over to the bed and patting the spot beside her. "It seems to me like you need some girl talk," she says with a faint grin. "I haven't done girl talk in a _long_ time, but I think I can still manage."

Rey squints at her curiously before hurrying over to take a seat on the bed. "Girl talk?" she repeats.

"Mhm." Leia nods, still grinning. "Where you tell me about your crush and I give you advice that you probably won't use and we have an all around great time."

Unable to help herself, Rey laughs. "Okay," she agrees, before some of the awkwardness of the situation returns. "Uhh... it might be a little weird though. Because of the guy I... like."

Leia scoffs. "You think I think it's weird that you have feelings for my son?" she asks, and for the second time that day Rey almost chokes in surprise. "In all honesty, I couldn't be more pleased. Ben needs someone like you to keep him in check."

Rey pulls her feet up and rests her chin on her knees, forgetting that she's wearing shoes. Leia doesn't reprimand her, though, so she stays in her position. "As great as that sounds... I don't think he's interested," she murmurs dejectedly. "Because I... asked him out, today. And the first thing he said in reply was that Jedi can't date."

Leia laughs. At Rey's injured look, she quickly moves to explain herself. "Ben is... like that. As I'm sure you know. His first thought wasn't to realize that you were telling him how you feel, but to make sure you two were following the rules. You wouldn't guess it from an almost-Sith-Lord, but Ben was always _very_ tied to the old laws and guidelines of the Jedi Order."

Rey slumps, and a clump of brown hair spontaneously tumbles from her bun. "I should have guessed that'd be the case," she says with a sigh, swiping the hair out of her eyes. "That he'd care more about the rules than me."

"Now, I didn't say _that_," Leia says, giving her a significant look. "I know my son, and I know that he cares for you, Rey. It just might take him a moment to see past the logistical side of two Jedi dating to the more... emotional and fulfilling side."

She bumps her knee playfully against Rey's. "And remember, you two are the last of the Jedi. There is no stuffy, stick-in-the-mud 'Jedi Order' anymore. You get to make your own rules."

Rey perks up. "I suppose you're right," she says, a little more decisively.

"Of course I'm right," Leia scoffs. She reaches over and pats Rey kindly on the leg. "But really, if you two don't get your act together I'm going to be forced to send you on a mission that includes a lot of one-on-one time in a ship somewhere in deep space. Maybe that'll do the trick."

"I... don't think that'll be necessary," Rey replies. She eyes Leia nervously, unsure of whether or not she's serious. It's entirely possible she is. "Maybe I'll go talk to him. To... explain, a little more."

She leaves Leia alone in her quarters, trying to come up with the best way to approach the issue with Ben. But she has next-to-no time to prepare any speeches or anything before she's rounding the corner and smacking straight into his chest.

"Ben!" Rey gasps, regaining her balance after a few seconds and looking up at the wide-shouldered man in surprise. "I was just- I was just looking for you."

"Really?" He looks down at her urgently. "I was, too. Looking for you, that is."

"Jedi can date," Rey blurts out before she can stop herself.

Ben shakes his head. "No, Rey, they can't. Not traditionally."

"Well- well- screw tradition then!" Rey exclaims. "Jedi can date because _I_ say they can. There's only two of us left, there's no Jedi Order, and besides I wouldn't have even known the rule if you hadn't told me. There's no one to enforce anything if we don't think it's an issue, so-"

She's cut off as Ben suddenly dives forward and takes her face in his hands, kissing her soundly. Rey gasps but gives herself up to the kiss almost immediately, enjoying the warm feeling of his fingertips just brushing her hairline. Even with the intense emotional bond they've shared ever since Snoke connected them through the Force, Rey and Ben haven't had much experiences on the physical contact front. Rey is going to take every moment she can get.

All too soon, Ben pulls away. He's panting a little, but there's a smile on his face. "What I was going to say," he says, and it takes Rey a second to remember what they'd been talking about, or even where she was. "Was that, yes, traditionally, Jedi can't date. But it's been a long time since those traditions were put in place and... frankly, I think they need updating."

A smile blooms on Rey's face. "So you'll go on a date with me?" she asks dumbly.

Ben's chin dips and he lets out a laugh. "Yes, I will go on a date with you, Rey." He brushes her hair out of her face with careful fingers. "But-"

"Oh, there always has to be a 'but' doesn't there," Rey interrupts with a roll of her eyes. "It can never just be a simple, 'sure! Let's go to the Cantina and hold hands and possibly spend the rest of our lives together'. There always some sort of... _something_."

Ben raises his eyebrows. " 'Go to the Cantina and spend the rest of our lives together', huh?" he quotes, smirking widely. "I see you've got it all planned out."

"Oh, shut up," Rey mutters. "What was your condition?"

"We can't let it get in the way," Ben says, his voice falling to be more serious. He moves his hands to her shoulders and his thumbs gently massage the skin there. "Of anything. Of training, of saving the galaxy, of being Jedi... emotions can be blinding and controlling, which is why the Jedi Order has never allowed them in the past."

Rey shakes her head and pulls away a little. "No," she disagrees, before amending her statement. "Okay, fine. _Maybe_. But for me, emotions have always been what makes you strong and makes you _real_. I went... a _long_ time without feeling any love in my life. And even though finally finding some sort of familial love in Han Solo lead to- to pain-" She sees Ben flinch and quickly moves away from the subject. "It was worth it. Because love and emotions are... _everything_."

Rey is a little startled to find that there's tears in her eyes. She knows she shows her emotions easily, but she really does believe that that isn't a weakness. Understanding, excepting, _feeling_ your emotions is how she got where she is now.

Ben nods, and she sees his throat bob as he swallows. "I will... try to see from your point of view," he says softly. "I think that there's a lot you could teach me, Rey. About using your emotions instead of burying them and- and letting them help you instead of tie you down."

Rey smiles, feeling warmth settle in her chest. "So, really?" she murmurs, still a little disbelieving that this all actually worked out. "You really want to try this? To be together?"

"I do," Ben says, and smiles a little. He's not one for grinning madly, but Rey knows that this is the face of a man who is really, truly happy.

She's glad. She's wanted to be the one to make him that happy for a long time, and now she's finally going to get the chance.

"So," Ben says, breaking the silence. He drops his hands and Rey is unable to resist a frown at the loss of contact. "This Sunday?" He winks. "We can go to the Cantina."

"Shut up," Rey mutters, shoving him a little and turning away. "But yes. Sunday sounds great."

**Author's Note: Cutiesss :D :D Lol I wrote that all in one day. I'M GOING TO SEE RISE OF SKYWALKER TOMORROW AND I'M SCAREDDDD :O :O **


End file.
